Feed-off-the-arm sewing machine



June 25, 1929. N. v. CHRISTENSEN FEED OFF THE ARM SEWING MACHINE Filed Oct. 20, 1926 4 SheetsSheet 1 gmmntoz 71mm J.

June 25, 1929. v, CHRISTENSEN 1,718,411

FEED OFF THE ARM SEWING MACHINE Filed Oct 20. 1926 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 June 25, 1929. N. v. CHRlSTENSEN FEED OFF THE ARM SEWING MACHINE Filed 003 20, 1.926

4 Sheets-Sheet 3 J 1929- N. v. CHRISTENSEN FEED OFF THE ARM SEWING MACHINE Filed Oct. 20, 1926 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented June 25, 1929.

UNITED STATES NORMAN V. CHRISTENSEN,OF CHICAGO,

PATENT OFFICE.

ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO UNION SPECIAL MACHINE COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

FEED-OFF-THE-ARM SEWING MACIIINE.

Application filed October 20, 1926. Serial No. 142,939.

turn is carried by the overhanging portion of a bracket. The main shaft is directly above this depending member and projects over theupper end thereof so that the looper mechanism and the feeding mechanism in the work supporting arm may be operated by devices actuated by the main shaft, which are comparatively few in number. In this prior machine, the work supporting arm is located in a vertical plane which cuts a vertical plane containing the main shaft at an acute angle. v

An object of the present invention is to provide a n achine of the above type where.- in the longitudinal axis of the work supporting arm may be disposed ina vertical plane which is substantially parallel with the vertical plane containing the main shaft.

A further object of-the invention is to provide a machine of the above character wherein the work Supporting arm is carried at the lower end of an inclined depending member, which in turn is supported by an overhanging portion of a bracket base.

A further object of the invention is to. provide a machine of the above characteri .wherein the face of the bracket base adjacent the work supporting arm is curved and joins the curved under face of the supporting member for the work supporting arm so as to provide an archway through which thearm of the operator may be extended for guiding the material along the inner side of the work supporting arm.

A further object of the invention is to provide a machine of the above type wherein the vertical plane containin the looper shaft is offset away from the racketbase and the vertical plane containing the main shaft, and wherein suitable means is provided for support-ing and actuating a needle bar directly over the .free end of the work supporting arm.

These and other objects will in part be obvious, and will in part be hereinafter 'more fully disclosed.

In the drawings which show b illustration one embodiment of ti tion-- Figure 1 is a view partly in plan and partly in horizontal section showing a sewing machine embodying the improvements; I

'Fig. 2 is a view partly in section and partly in side'elevation of the machine;

Fig. 3 is a view of the machine taken from the end of the work-supporting arm where it way of 1e invenis supported, and

Fig. 4 is a sectional view through the housing for supporting the needle bar and showing the actuating mechanism therefor.

The inventionis directed broadly to a sewing machine which is adapted for stitching tubular articles, such as sleeves or the leg portions ofga'rments. To this end, the machine is provided with a work supporting arm around which the material may be formed into a tubular portionand this tubular portion as it is formed, is fed along the arm by a feeding mechanism and is stitched as the material leaves the end of the work supporting arm. The work supportlng arm is suspended sothat the material can pass underneath the same and be formed around the arm into tubular shape. The main frame of the machine contains an upper frame member'forming apart of an overhanging bracket base, and. located in this frame member is the main actuating shaft. At one end of this frame member'c'arrying the actuating shaft, is an inclined depending member, and at the lower-end of the depending member is a work supporting arm. The work supporting arm projects laterally from this depending member, and the longitudinal axis of this work supporting arm lies in a vertical plane offset from, but parallel with the vertical plane containing the main shaft,

or substantially so. ,The actuating mochanism for the looper and the feed, which are located in this work supporting arm, is located in this inclined depending member. and a single train of mechanism may be used for oscillating the looper shaft from the main actuating shaft, and infact, all of the operating parts for the looper and the of the bracket base.

feed, operate either in planes at right angles to the main actuating shaft, or in planes parallel to the vertical plane containing the actuatin shaft. The bracket base is similar to that s own and described in the application filed by Messrs. Christensen and Le Vesconte above referred to, and the face thereof adjacent the work supporting arm is curved. This curved face leads into a curved face on the underside of the. depending member, and together therewith forms an archway through which the arm of the operator may be extendedfor guiding the articles as they are being "stitched. At the free end of the work supporting arm is the needle bar, and this needle bar is mounted in the supporting structure carried by the supporting frame at the upper outer edge The needle bar is actuated from the main shaft. The main shaft is preferably provided with a belt gvheel at the end thereof adjacent the needle Referring more in detail to the drawings, the improved machine consists of a bracket supporting base 1 which is adapted to be attached to a sewing table'in any desired way. This bracket supporting base has an upwardly projecting part 2 which terminates at its upper outer edge in a supporting frame 3. Located in this supporting frame 3 is a main actuating shaft 4. The main actuating shaft 4 carries a belt wheel 5 by which it is rotated. and adjacent the belt wheel 5 is a hand wheel6 of the usual construction. At the opposite end of the supporting frame 3 from the beltwheel 5, there is an inclined depending member 7, and this inclined depending member 7 carries a work supporting arm 8 at the lowerend thereof. .The upper face 9 of this depending member 7 is in clined substantially at an angle of fortyfive degrees tothe vertical. -This angle, of course, may be varied. It will readily be seen that this inclination of the depending member accomplishes two results. It ofisets the work supporting arm 8 from a vertical plane containing the actuatihg shaft so that the operator sitting adjacent the supported end of the work supporting armmay get a clear vision of the free end of the work supporting arm where the stitching takes place. This inclining of the depending member greatly increases the range of visibility of the work supporting arm; that is. the operator may see the work supporting arm at a point quite close to the" depending member and thus more efiiciently guide the edges of the sections of fabric which are to be stitched into tubular form. While the machine is particularly adapted for forming tubular parts, it will be understood, of course, that it may be used for the stitching of any articles, and it is particularly useful where the stitching may pass directly from one article on to another, so that there may be a substantially continuous flow of the articles from the machine passing along and off from the end of the work supporting arm.

The under face 10 of the depending. portion which carries the work supporting arm is curved, and the face 11 of the supporting bracket base is likewise curved, and these two curves unite to form an archway, which gives a very roomy space for the arm of the operator to guide the material at the inner face of the work supporting arm. This face of the supporting bracket base is more widely spaced from the work supporting arm at the end thereof where it is supported than atthe free end of the work supporting arm. This is accomplished by the shaping of the supporting bracket base. It is necessary to provide ample room for the arm of the operator at the supported end of the work supporting arm. At the free end, however, of the work supporting arm, it is only neces sary to have proper clearance for the material to pass. While the work supporting arm is shown as-spaced at a considerable distance from the bracket carrying the same, it will be understood that this spacing may be changed, provided sufiicient space is afforded for properly guiding the material. At the end of the supporting frame 3 adjacent the driving pulley, there is a laterally projecting housing '12 which is preferably formed as an integral part of the supporting frame for the main driving shaft. This laterally projecting housing 12 extends over the free end of the work supporting arm 8. Mounted in this housing 12 is a needle bar 13, carrying, as shown in the drawings, two needles, 14 and 15. The needle bar is a'ctuated by a lever 16 connected by a link 17 to the needle bar, and this lever is in turn actuated by a crank 16 in the main actuating shaft 19 through a link 20 which is connected to the lever.

Cooperating with the needles beneath the work support are two loopers 21. There is a separate looper for each needle, and thus the machine as illustrated is adapted for forming, two independent parallel lines of stitching. It will be understood, of course, that this stitching mechanism may be widely varied, so as to adapt the machine to different characters of stitch ing. The loopers 21 are carried by a looper shaft 23 mounted in suitable bearings in the work supporting arm 8. Mounted on the end of the .main actuating shaft 4 is an eccentric member 24, and a link 25 connected to this eccentric member 24, is in turn connected to an arm on the looper supporting shaft 23 for oscillating the looper supporting shaft. It will be noted that the main actuating shaft can be connected directly tothe looper supporting shaft, and that the plane in which this actuating link 25 lies particularly and moves is at right-angles to the axis of both the actuating shaft and the looper supporting shaft. It is understood, of course. that this looper actuating mechanism may be varied to derive the desired movements for the looper, but there will always be the advantage of these parts which transmit the movements from one shaft to the other being in a plane at right angles to the axis of the shaft. so that there can be no cramping or objectionable angular thrusts brought to bear on the looper supporting shaft. The looper supporting shaft is moved endwise by means of a pitman 26 cooperating with an ec centric on the main actuating shaft 4. This pitman is connected to an arm 27 carried by a rock shaft 28. The rock shaft 28 carries an arm 29 which is connected by a link 30 to a collar 31 on the looper supporting shaft 23. This collar 31 is freely mounted on the looper supporting shaft and is located be tween spaced collars 32, 32 fixed to the looper supporting shaft. This mechanism gives an endwise movement to the loop-er supporting shaft, and thus imparts the needle avoiding movement to the loopers.

The material is fed along the work support by a feed dog 33 carried by a feed bar 34. The feed bar 34 is pivotally mounted on a link 35 supported by a lever 36. The feed bar slides on a fulcrum pivot pin 37 and is moved endwise by means of a link 38 connected to an arm 39 on the rock shaft 28. Thus it is that this rock shaft 28 moves the feed bar endwise, and also the looper endwise. The plane of movement of the parts carried by the rock shaft 28 is parallel with the axis of the actuating shaft. The feed bar is raised and lowered by a pitman 40 cooperating with an eccentric on the main actuating shaft 4. This pitman 40 is connected to a rock lever 41 mounted on a stud carried by the frame of the machine. Said rock lever carries another arm to which a link 42 is connected, and the link 42 at its lower end is connected to the lever 36. This rock lever 41 oscillates about an axis parallel with the longitudinal axis of the main actuating shaft.

From the above it will be apaprent that the actuating parts move in planes either parallel to the longitudinal axis of the main shaft or at right angles thereto, and this brings about the advantages above'referred to.

It will be apparent that this feeding mechanism may be varied so as to provide a differential feed forcertain classes of work. It will also be obvious that the actuating mechanism for the needles, the loopers and the feed may be varied, and the shaping of the frame parts and the proportions thereof may be varied, without departing from the spirit of the invention as set forth in the appended claim.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Let ters Patent, is

A sewing machine comprising a substantially horizontal frame, a main actuating shaft. mounted in said frame and carrying at one end thereof an actuating member, the other end of said shaft being enclosed within said frame, a bracket base on which said supporting frame is mounted, said base being located at one side of a vertical plane passing through the longitudinal axis of the shaft and attached to said frame from end to end thereof, a member depending from the end of said frame enclosing the actuating shaft, said member being inclined away from said base and spaced therefrom soas to provide a clearance space between said depending member and the bracket base for the arm of the operator, a work sup porting arm carried at the lower end of said depending member and extending in a direction substantially parallel with the longitudinal axis of said actuating shaft and means for supporting the needle bar over the free end of the work supporting arm.

In testimony whereof, I afiix my signature.

NORMAN V. CHRISTENSEN. 

